CDC Joins Nation in Mourning & Celebrating John Lewis

This week the nation bids farewell to one of its bravest patriots: Representative John Lewis, who relentlessly defied hatred and violence to stand up (and sit down) for the right of Black Americans to vote and gain equality. Possessed perhaps equally of physical bravery and moral courage, Mr. Lewis served the United States as a Freedom Rider, organizer, marcher, speaker, and politician for decades. We in Cornwall—like people of good faith across the country—mourn his loss, celebrate his example, and hope to emulate in some measure his profound impact on justice. May he rest in power.

Obituary: The New York Times, “John Lewis, Towering Figure of Civil Rights Era, Dies at 80”
Book: John Lewis, Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America
Book: John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell, March
Book: John Lewis and Michael D’Orso, Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement

Cornwall Democratic Committee Statement on Police Brutality and Protests

The words “Equal Justice Under Law” stand over the entrance to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Declaration of Independence states “all men are created equal.” The 13th and 14th Amendments abolished slavery. But despite our ideals, America has yet to conquer systemic racial prejudice and discrimination.

Every new video of unarmed Black Americans dying at the hands of the state reminds us how far we still have to go to realize our nation's founding creed of equality. Whatever progress we’ve made since the days of legal slavery has been consistently undermined by more subtle tactics including, as we have been seeing, far too many instances of police brutality. 

We believe that the passion and energy of the demonstrations following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Rayshard Brooks can be turned into a powerful force for good. Therefore we stand with our local and state elected officials and candidates who have attended Black Lives Matter demonstrations in recent weeks and spoken out against police misconduct. 

The Committee encourages and welcomes our neighbors of color and younger people to get involved and help us realize the values we share. We firmly believe that justice should not be a partisan issue, and we urge all people of good will to join us in seeking to end systemic racism against people of color.

None of us are free until all of us are free. Black lives matter.

Cornwall Young Democrats: Black Lives Matter

The Cornwall Young Democrats have always unequivocally supported the Black members of our community in advocating for the Black Lives Matter movement. Now, we stand with those who have chosen to protest. Furthermore, in light of the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other black people at the hands of racist police, we are imploring our elected officials to do the same. 

 Over the past ten days, Democratic governors have by and large condemned and repressed the protests that have taken place, prioritizing property over people and peace over progress. While the ballot box has been touted as our most effective tool in pushing for systemic change, the cry of “vote blue no matter who” falls short in consideration of recent events. It is Democratic mayors and Democratic governors who have responded to peaceful protests with heavily militarized police and draconian curfews, and who have defended the excessive force executed indiscriminately by cops upon dissidents as necessary.

The Cornwall Young Democrats are hopeful when we see the choices that young people have made in light of the tragedies of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Botham Jean, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Walter Scott, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling, Freddie Gray, Laquan McDonald, and countless others, and contend that if the party is to survive in any kind of relevance, its response to the Black Lives Matter movement can no longer be a rain of rubber bullets, nor a cloud of tear gas, but meaningful systematic change that protects and values the lives of black Americans.

Q&A with Sean Patrick Maloney and James Skoufis

Two of Cornwall’s Democratic elected representatives shared a Q&A tonight on Facebook Live, advising residents about COVID-19 matters and plans for rebuilding New York’s economy smarter and better than before.

A Message about Masks from Governor Cuomo

COVID-19 has changed a lot of our normal behaviors, and mask-wearing is no exception. In his daily address on Tuesday, Governor Cuomo summed up the meaning behind mask-wearing for New Yorkers. Remember: when you wear a mask you’re protecting others from infection; and when others wear a mask, they’re protecting you.

Pandemic Resources from Senator James Skoufis

If your family or business has been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, the following grants and other resources may be of use. As many of these grants and financial resources are changing rapidly, Senator Skoufis’ Grants Specialist will update this document weekly with the most accurate and timely information. Please continue to check back for any changes or additions.

https://files.constantcontact.com/fb588e1b201/aeffccc3-0030-47b0-b089-19aecc6f324c.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1w15sj-4cQJM88kF6LKehlzQHzAIIGroKWZ8Ai_g_kTcfSHjHQfgHjvco

Fighting for the Future

A young person writes about political engagement and backlash—but won’t back down.

(via @_jennachad_ on Twitter)

Progressivism vs. Centrism

By Jessica Wu

The beginning of 2019 has already seen a number of Democrats officially put themselves in the race for 2020, with many more giving indications that they too plan to throw in their hats. Democrats are campaigning with several important issues on the line: universal healthcare, staggering personal and national debt, the opioid crisis, and zero hour of the climate change battle. The question becomes how each candidate will address each issue, or, rather, how voters will decide they want these issues to be resolved. It is very clearly going to be a race between progressivism and centrism. Some, like Amy Klobuchar, promise a moderate plan of leadership, whereas progressive candidates like Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren have declared they will demand rather drastic change, now.

Even within progressives, there are new and old faces. Sanders was really the one who led and popularized the conversation on single-payer healthcare back in 2016, but four years later, perhaps it is time for slightly younger faces like Warren and Harris to take over the movement. All things considered, maybe Democratic voters will decide that universal government programs for healthcare or education aren’t conducive to the national debt that just broke $22 trillion, and that things like Medicare-for-more might be a safer option.

The way the vote swings will say a lot: are we ready for a revolution, or are we desperate to get back to a sense of stability, even if it means remaining stagnant? Regardless, a lot is at stake, and all the 2020 candidates know this.

A New Day Dawns in Albany

Long-blocked Reproductive Health Act, Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act and Boss Bill Signed into Law

In January the new Democratic majority Senate was seated in Albany. Joining the Democratic-led Assembly the Empire State can expect long-awaited legislation from this young and diverse group of law makers.

Under the leadershp of Andrea Stewart-Cousins, New York State’s first woman Senate Majority Leader, the senate has already tackled Voting Reform, Reproductive Rights and Women’s Health, LGBTQ protections, and is poised to pass the Child Victims Act which would extend the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse (see Rally for Child Victims Act, TDC Vol.1 No.1 page 1). All of these issues had been blocked by previous Republican majorities, most never making it to the floor for a vote after passage in the Assembly.

At the January 20 swearing-in of Senator James Skoufis at the Monroe-Woodbury Middle School Leader Stewart-Cousins promised that New York willl be a progressive trailblazer and that the whole country will be looking to New York as an example. 

To be sure, the rapid pace of change in Albany and the Progressive agenda that it supports is only possible because last November New York’s voters overwhelmingly declared that we’re “mad as hell and (we aren’t) going to take it anymore!” As a result fourteen new Democratic Senators were elected–two in Orange County!

Democratic-Controlled State Senate Finally Passes Historic Voting Reform

New York Enters the 21st Century as Early Voting Comes to the State

By Michael Kochler

After years of Republican obstruction in the State Senate the new Democratic majority quickly joined their counterparts in the Assembly and passed a series of bills that overhaul New York’s outdated election laws.

A pillar of Sentor James Skoufis’ election campaign, the new laws bring early voting to the Empire State along with a host of other measures designed to makevoting easier, thus increasing New York’s historically low election day turnout.New York typically has among the lowest voter participation rates in the nation.

New Democratic Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins swiftly brought the badly needed and long overdue legislation to the Senate floor to begin just her second week of leadership. Besides early voting the bills consolidate New York’sstate and federal primaries; provide for preregistration of 16- and 17-year-olds and voting by mail; and sharply limits the influence of money in elections through L.L.C.s. Said Senator Stewart-Cousins, “We should not fear making it easier for those who are eligible to vote, to vote,” adding, “We should not fear restricting theflow of money into our electoral system.”

Another of Senator Skoufis’ promises was that the so-called L.L.C. loophole would be closed. Under the old statute corporations could spend almost unlimited amounts of money on election races through multiple limited liability companies (L.L.C.s). Typically created by real estate and other powerful interests the true owners of these L.L.C.s are often difficult to identify.

The Assembly, under Democratic leadership, has passed similar bills in past sessions only to see the measures die in the Republican controlled Senate. Republicans regularly sited the expense of making these changes which theymaintained would penalize upstate counties. In truth, consolidating the state’sprimaries will save those counties millions of dollars.

The Cornwall Democratic Committee Resolves for 2019…

1. To knock on the door of every registered Democrat in the Town of Cornwall

2. To learn more about what Democratic voters in the Town of Cornwall find important

3. To register new voters and increase the number of registered Democrats in the Town of Cornwall

4. To encourage every Democrat in the Town of Cornwall to vote Democrat

5. To recruit volunteers for Democratic campaigns

6. To encourage young people in the Town of Cornwall to become engaged

7. To identify and encourage new and aspiring Democratic Candidates

8. To challenge every incumbant Republican in the Town of Cornwall elections in 2019

9. To run to WIN

10. To uphold the ideals and values that define the Democratic Party and fight for the Founding Fathers’ vision of an America that stands for Liberty and justice FOR ALL in 2019 and beyond!

The Campaign for Our Future

By Jessica Wu

The beginning of this month saw what was one of the most exciting midterm elections in a very long time— certain the most exciting I’ve seen thus far in my own lifetime. Though the results of the election were not unanimously thrilling, there were absolutely several things to celebrate. To name a couple, it was incredibly motivating to see Skoufis, the first candidate I’ve ever campaigned for, emerge victorious against a block vote and Delgado take Faso’s seat.

Beyond these local victories, however, there was undeniably a national ripple across the demographic most personal to me: youth. Thirty-one percent of the youth base turned out to vote, up ten points from the 2014 midterms. Granted, we clearly still have a long way to go, but this change deserves adequate recognition.

These midterms were different for us. College campuses pushed voter registration like never before, and social media enabled us to access news at the tap of a button (for better or worse). This time around, we’ve got skin in the game. We haven’t forgotten the critical movement that followed after Parkland, the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+, gender, and racial equality, and, of course, the erratic man in the White House who’s still got two more years there. It’s our future that’s being shaped right now, and it only makes sense that we have a say in it.

Someone suggested to me last week that perhaps the apathy of youth is justified; we don’t have the lobbying power of corporate adults. Why would politicians prioritize our needs over theirs? It’s hard to argue with that. But Millennials are projected to surpass the Baby Boomers as the largest living adult generation by next year, with Gen X not too far behind— which means we have power at the polls, if we so choose. The harnessing of that undeniably begins in places like the Cornwall Young Democrats. 

We’ve got another upper hand too: passion. Coming of age during a political era that is so divided and new is admittedly scary, but in all truth, it is fire that drives fire. It is passion that drives passion, something I’ve experienced firsthand. We can keep the momentum driving ever-forward, but only if we’re willing to step up and turn those passions into action.

Democrats Unite for Tax Protest

When it was found that the Republican controlled Town of New Windsor government had called for a 9.7% increase in property taxes, local Democratic committees stepped up to the plate. 

The Cornwall Democrats joined with our brothers and sisters of the New Windsor Democratic Committee to call attention to this outrage. Rallies were held in front of New Windsor Town Hall on 20 and November 3.    

The Town eventually rolled back the increase. 

A Word from our Chairman

By Jon Chase, CDC Chairman
We represent the Democratic Party in the Town of Cornwall.  Our members are chosen every two years by Democratic voters in Cornwall’s 14 Election Districts, and we represent those voters on the Orange County Democratic Committee, in addition to facilitating Democratic Party functions in our Town.  

• Some of the things we do include:

• assisting residents with voter registration;

• petitioning to get our candidates for public office on the ballot; 

• recruiting, assisting and serving as Election Inspectors for our Party; 

• recruiting, training and serving as Democratic poll-watchers on Election Day; 

• assisting our Party’s candidates in communicating with our voters; and

• assisting our voters in communicating with candidates and elected officials.

WE ARE ADVOCATES FOR GOOD GOVERNMENT.  We believe that includes being watchdogs over our tax dollars, guardians of community resources and our environment, stewards of historical traditions and assets, and promoters of our local economy.

WE ARE PROUD OF the work our candidates have done since their election in 2015 and 2017 to restore the Sands-Ring homestead, to enact needed zoning controls for the undeveloped land in Cornwall, to update the Town’s Comprehensive Plan, to update and invest in the Town’s sewage-treatment facility, and generally to protect Cornwall’s traditions, values and environment, while doing it all openly and transparently and always considering the cost to the taxpayers.

YOU CAN HELP OUR WORK BY :

• liking our “Cornwall Democratic Committee” Facebook page;

• adding your email address to our distribution list;

• making a donation to the “Cornwall Democratic Committee”;

• attending our meetings and sharing your ideas;

• working on some of our many party projects and events;

• supporting our candidates; and

• VOTING IN EVERY ELECTION!

THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST!  WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU TO MAKE CORNWALL AND ORANGE COUNTY EVEN BETTER!

Democratically yours,
Your Cornwall Democratic Committee

September 2018: Skoufis and Rettig Rally for Child Victims Act

Who is the Republican-controlled Senate Protecting?

On Thursday, August 30, 2018, Assemblyman and state senate candidate James Skoufis, assembly candidate Mark Rettig, Orange County Legislator and former republican senate candidate Mike Anagnostakis, survivor Gary Greenberg and area activists held a rally in Cornwall’s Donahue Park for The Child Victims Act. The bill would extend the statute of limitations for criminal charges and civil suits against perpetrators of childhood sexual abuse. Currently survivors have until their 23rd birthday to report such abuse. The bill, passed by large bi-partisan majorities in the New York State Assembly during the last two sessions, would allow criminal prosecution until the survivor is 28 and civil cases until the age of 50.

Many survivors of these heinous acts are not able, for reasons that may include fear of reprisal, humiliation and trauma, to talk about it let alone report it to the authorities for years after. 

For reasons that are not as clear the Republican-controlled state senate has killed the bill without ever bringing it to the floor for a vote. James Skoufis and Matt Rettig vow to continue to fight for the Child Victims Act in January should they win seats in the Senate and Assembly, respectively.